There was quite a buzz south of the border this week when former Barcelona striker Giovani Dos Santos' father/agent — Zizinho - met with top executives of club Tigres, the Nuevo Leon team with a strong following among expatriates living in Houston. In the coming weeks and months leading up to the January transfer window, that buzz could be here.

Dos Santos, who was one of three finalists for the FIFA Best Young Player at the 2010 World Cup, has not been able to convince Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp that he's worthy of steady playing time.

Redknapp simply doesn't find any minutes for Dos Santos, who arrived at Tottenham with high expectations on transfer from Barcelona.

Dos Santos, 21, is likely going to be shipped out yet again during the January transfer window, and he has drawn interest from top clubs in Italy and Spain. The Premier League doesn't seem to suit his style, so he's not likely to be offloaded to another EPL team. If ever there was a time for the Dynamo to strike with a splash for a major designated player, this January might be it. And Dos Santos should be the top target.

Actually, Dos Santos is the Dynamo's top target.

Although Dynamo chief operating officer Chris Canetti declined comment, another MLS insider told the Chronicle that the team has reached out to Tottenham and Dos Santos' camp.

Signing the speedy forward/attacking midfielder won't be easy, especially now that a potential bidding war could begin with other Mexican and European clubs. Dos Santos has 1½ years on his contract, so it would make no sense for the Dynamo to purchase him without tying him up to a contract extension.

Not inexpensive

So to land Dos Santos, the Dynamo might have to overpay to attract him to MLS. There are many questions. Does he want to come here? Can the Dynamo afford his salary request? Can MLS beat out the Mexican Primera Division?

Major League Soccer was good enough for current New York Red Bulls star Rafa Marquez, the Mexican national team captain and former Champions League and Liga champion with Barcelona. Sure, Marquez isn't one of the premier players in the world, but he has accomplished enough in the world and is relatively young enough to show that MLS can attract major Mexican talent.

Some folks - many actually - might laugh at any suggestion the Dynamo could even or should fathom a move for Dos Santos.

But Dynamo fans should keep in mind the club's majority owner just happens to be Anschutz Entertainment Group, one of the most powerful sports powerbrokers in the world.

AEG has deep enough pockets to land Dos Santos and pay the $9 million it might take to make the transfer from Tottenham happen.

Moreover, the $9 million would seem like a quality investment on a true young star who will be hungry to prove worthy of a return to Europe.

If Dos Santos can live up to his hype, he could easily do for Major League Soccer what Los Angeles Galaxy star Landon Donovan has done for the league and soccer in the United States.

Donovan also struggled to stick early on in Europe, and he didn't quiet his critics until his recent loan spell with Everton.

AEG has kept Donovan happy with the Galaxy, and they can surely do the same in Houston with Dos Santos, who could be a box office hit at Robertson Stadium next year and at the new stadium in 2012.

Name attraction

Moreover, outside of Yao Ming, Dos Santos would be the most internationally recognized Houston athlete the minute he arrived in town.

Keep in mind that the most valuable sports franchise in the world - Manchester United - didn't draw its biggest crowd on its North American tour until they landed in Houston with a certain young man named Javier "El Chicharito" Hernandez.

Dynamo and MLS folks would readily admit that Hernandez was the biggest reason the MLS All-Star Game was a sellout, and Dos Santos would surely be a draw to the fans who came out to Reliant Stadium in July to support Hernandez more than the Red Devils themselves.

Equally important, Dos Santos would be a perfect fit for Dominic Kinnear's attacking style. Few players in the world have Dos Santos' pace, and it would be disappointing if AEG wouldn't at least make a valiant effort to check into Dos Santos, who was born in Monterrey, which is the birthplace of a large portion of the Mexican immigrants living in Houston.